Human research ethics training

Mandatory training

  • Human research ethics training 
  • Password problems
  • TCPS2 certificates

Other training opportunities

  • Classroom or group in-person presentations
  • CITI Program
  • Good Clinical Practice

Mandatory training

All University of Waterloo undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff must complete the mandatory human research ethics training prior to submitting an application for review.

Requirements and milestones for completion of the Course on Research Ethics (CORE), alternatively known as the TCPS 2 tutorial, are identified in the University of Waterloo Requirement for Human Research Ethics Training. 

Need a copy of your certificate?

There are three ways to print your certificate:

  1. Point of Access: The Congratulations page that appears when you complete the last module
    Action Required: Click as directed on the link to your certificate then click ‘print certificate’
  2. Point of Access: Dashboard – below the list of modules
    Action Required: Click on ‘View/Print Certificate’ – then click ‘Print Certificate’
  3. Point of Access: Dashboard – below the list of modules
    Action Required: Click on ‘Email Certificate’. Check your email. Download the pdf file.  Consider saving the file for future reference. Open the pdf file.
    Print the pdf file.

Ensure that the orientation in the printer settings is ‘landscape’ not ‘portrait’.

New to University of Waterloo?

If you are new to the University of Waterloo and have already completed the tutorial with another institution, change your profile information to University of Waterloo. You can do this by logging into the tutorial and going to the Account Details link at the bottom of the page to revise your institution-specific e-mail and affiliation.

Can't remember your password?

If your password is not working or you have forgotten your password, you can reset it by following these steps:

  1. Go to the tutorial login page
  2. Enter your email address in the purple box under "Forgot Your Password" and hit "send". You will see the following message on the screen: "Your password has been reset. Please check your email."
  3. Check your email for your new temporary password, return to the login page and use it to log in.
  4. To change your temporary password to one of your own choosing, click on ‘Account Details’ from the menu items at the bottom of the tutorial pages, enter a new password and click ‘save’.

If you are still having difficulties with your password, click on the Help link at the bottom on the page to contact the tutorial's technical support team.

Other available training opportunities

University of Waterloo Class or Group In-Person Education Sessions

Representatives from the Office of Research Ethics are available to speak with undergraduate and graduate classes, lab groups, faculty groups or others on the following topics:

  • Ethics Clearance for Research with Human Participants  Researchers will learn when ethics clearance is necessary and the core principles of conducting ethical research with human participants. Participants will learn how to apply for ethics clearance using the UWaterloo system as well as tips and best practices for crafting a strong ethics application which can speed ethics clearance time. This workshop is relevant to researchers who collect any type of data from human participants. Priority for this workshop will be given to groups who are likely to apply for ethics clearance in the next 12 months.
  • Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Integrity  Attendees will learn to identify the types of research behaviours that constitute a breach to the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Framework. Participants will learn what to do if they suspect a breach, and how to avoid the most common allegations of misconduct. The workshop will also address negotiating authorship with integrity. This workshop is relevant to all researchers, regardless of methods or discipline.

Contact Karen Pieters to discuss your training needs and book a session.

CITI Canada

University of Waterloo faculty, staff and students can also access other free online training for University of Waterloo members available through CITI Canada. Topics include:

  • Responsible conduct of research
  • Privacy
  • Good Clinical Practice
  • Biomedical research ethics
  • Health Canada Division 5 - Drugs For Clinical Trials Involving Humans
  • Transportation of dangerous goods
  • Ethical issues in social and behavioural science

The CITI-Canada Good Clinical Practice course meets TransCelerate’s criteria for ICH GCP training. 

CITI US

University of Waterloo faculty, staff and students can also access other free online training for University of Waterloo members available through CITI US. Topics include:

  • Conflicts of Interest (COI)
  • Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
  • Information Privacy and Security (IPS)
  • Human Subject Research (HSR)
  • Good Laboratory Practices

The CITI-US COI course was designed to satisfy training requirements associated with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) regulations on financial conflicts of interest. This course can be taken by investigators who receive funding from a PHS agency, including the NIH.  GCP courses fulfil NIH requirements and cover Clinical Trials with Investigational Drugs and Medical Devices (U.S. FDA Focus), and clinical trials with Investigational Drugs and Biologics (ICH Focus).  IPS courses include tailored courses on HIPPA (Health Privacy) and FERPA (Educational Records and Data).  All HSR courses reflect the revised Common Rule.